Draw Near: Lenten Devotional by Lynne Baab, illustrated by Dave BaabTwo Hands: Grief and Gratitude in the Christian LifeA Renewed SpiritualityNurturing Hope: Christian Pastoral Care in the Twenty-First CenturyThe Power of ListeningJoy Together: Spiritual Practices for Your CongregationSabbath Keeping FastingPrayers of the Old TestamentPrayers of the New TestamentSabbathFriendingA Garden of Living Water: Stories of Self-Discovery and Spiritual GrowthDeath in Dunedin: A NovelDead Sea: A NovelDeadly Murmurs: A NovelPersonality Type in CongregationsBeating Burnout in CongregationsReaching Out in a Networked WorldEmbracing MidlifeAdvent Devotional

Living free from covid while people I love suffer

Lynne Baab • Wednesday January 6 2021

Living free from covid while people I love suffer

The Seattle area leads the country in percentage of people who feel sad. According to an article in the Seattle Times, “Of the slightly more than 3 million people age 18 and older in our metro area, an estimated 1.5 million were feeling ‘down, depressed, or hopeless’ at least a few days over the previous week.” You’ll probably say, oh, it’s that terrible dark and rainy weather in Seattle in December. However, the Seattle area was effectively tied with the Phoenix area, which of course is much, much sunnier than Seattle in December. My heart goes out to all the sad...

Read full article »

Creativity, imagination, Jesus, and prayer for people we love

Lynne Baab • Thursday August 6 2020

Creativity, imagination, Jesus, and prayer for people we love

Sometimes when I’m praying for family members and friends, I try to think of one word to summarize what I long for in their lives. Recently one of my favorite words is “shalom,” with its broadest meaning – well being in every area of life. For several friends and family members, I find myself praying the word “joy.” For several friends who struggle with anxiety, I simply pray “peace.” For my intrepid granddaughter, when I feel anxious about her safety, I pray the word “protection.”

From my recent reading about Jesus and imagination in Cheryl Forbes’ book Imagination: Embracing a Theology of...

Read full article »

Spiritual diary of sheltering in place: The lifeline of welcoming prayer

Lynne Baab • Thursday May 14 2020

Spiritual diary of sheltering in place: The lifeline of welcoming prayer

I am a planner. The inability to plan is one of the frustrations of sheltering in place without a sense of when this will end. Last week a friend asked me what I would plan if I could. Definitely a trip to see our granddaughter. And definitely a painter to change the color on the walls of our living room and dining room while we are away. This trip and painting were planned for early April, and like so many people who had to change travel plans, I was really frustrated that two things I had planned didn’t happen.

Last week I...

Read full article »

Spiritual diary of self-isolation: responding to terror by listening to Jesus voice

Lynne Baab • Sunday March 29 2020

Spiritual diary of self-isolation: responding to terror by listening to Jesus voice

For the past three weeks, I’ve been writing devotionals for my church every Friday, using the daily lectionary. Here’s the one that was sent out yesterday.

To the church in exile,

God’s peace to you. Today I’m going to start by describing the opposite of peace – terror.

The word “terrified” means to feel extreme fear. For me, anxiety is a kind of background murmur – not pleasant at all – and I have felt it far too often in the past month. Extreme fear is worse. It shouts loudly and impacts my whole body. I feel terror in my stomach, my chest and...

Read full article »
<< Newer | Older >>

Featured books

Featured articles

NEW: Nurturing a contemplative stance for navigating challenging times

Lynne Baab • Friday August 11 2023

By Lynne M. Baab

NEW: Spiritual Practices for People in Ministry

Lynne Baab • Sunday June 26 2022

Making Space for a Continuing Conversation with the Living God

NEW: Yes, Jesus Told Us to Pray in Secret. But He Also Prayed with His Friends.

Lynne Baab • Saturday October 9 2021

By Lynne M. Baab. Originally published in Christianity Today, July 8, 2021